As we close out Pride month, we thought it was a good time to check in with two leading voices for LGBTQ rights in the South: Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project and Jeff Graham of Georgia Equality. We spoke just a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of U.S. v. Skrmetti, and Sanders and Graham had a lot to say about the ongoing political and legal attacks on transgender people and the queer community more broadly. Both said they hear a lot of anger and fear, but also a determination to keep fighting for equality.
Also: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pulls a last-minute reverse on the state’s ban of hemp-derived THC products; Mississippi faces a lawsuit over yet another anti-DEI bill; and with a group of six Southern state university systems announces the formation of a new accrediting body, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promises will challenge what he called the “woke accreditation cartels.”
Plus: a look at some of the oldest and most creative 4th of July celebrations across the South.
Show Notes:
“Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes THC ban, calls for regulation instead” The Texas Tribune
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/22/texas-thc-ban-bill-greg-abbott-veto-senate-bill-3
“Game changer? Fresh face enters Texas governor race” San Antonio News
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/bobby-cole-texas-governor-20391255.php
“Teaching the Holocaust Just Got Harder in Mississippi” The Bulwark
Mississippi House Bill 1193
https://legiscan.com/MS/text/HB1193/id/3201235
Gatlinburg 4th of July Midnight Parade
https://www.gatlinburg.com/event/annual-4th-of-july-midnight-parade/35
Thunderfest (Bowling Green, Ky.)
https://www.visitbgky.com/event/thunderfest%3a-presented-by-hayward-minton/7654
Panama City Beach 4th of July
https://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com/events/holiday-events/fourth-of-july/